A working model network of tree improvement for competitive, multifunctional and sustainable European forestry

6th framework programme Research Infrastructures Action Integrating activity A working model network of tree improvement for competitive, multifunctional and sustainable European forestry

"Structuring the European Research Area" Action: Support for Research Infrastructures The ability of Europe s research teams to remain at the forefront of all fields of science and technology depends on their being supported by state-of-the-art infrastructures. The term research infrastructures refers to facilities and resources that provide essential services to the research community in both academic and/or industrial domains.

The ambition of an Integrating Activity should be to induce a long-term integrating effect on the way research infrastructures operate, evolve and interact with similar infrastructures and with their users, thereby contributing to structure the European Research Area. Operators of similar infrastructures in a given class should for instance find it easier, through an Integrating Activity, to develop synergies and complementary capabilities in such a way as to offer an improved access to researchers. Likewise, infrastructure operators and users should be in a better position to tackle new or unexpected developments in their field, for instance in relation to state-of-the-art instrumentation, with a more co-ordinated approach. More generally, a closer interaction between a large number of scientists active in and around a number of infrastructures will facilitate crossdisciplinary fertilisations and a wider sharing of knowledge and related technologies across fields and between academia and industry.. Long-term integrating effect to structure the European Research area to develop synergies and complementary capabilities to tackle new or unexpected developments to facilitate cross-disciplinary fertilisations

Context of European forest tree breeding Redundant activity/ R&D facilities Small size : under-critical mass Scattered facilities/ dispersed expertise Few integrated R&D chains Ex. Norway spruce breeding programmes Submitted to severe conjectural constraints in terms of research team critical mass, budget, etc Faced to new R&D challenges well-beyond regional/national scopes More reactivity is needed

Increasing complexity new problems new challenges... Environmental context climate change biodiversity issues Socio-economic context New forest roles New products UE enlargement Artificial forests New scientific and technical context Need to join forces!

? Inventory Databases Conditions for access Inventory Conditions for access Needs for research Databases Conditions for access Needs for research Inventory State-of-the art Common protocols Needs for research Databases State-of-the art Synthesis Dissemination

28 Institutes - 18 countries Duration : 48 months Towards a more perennial structure

Main objective To create a scientific and technical platform for tree breeders and geneticists but also for a larger scientific community - to raise scientific and technical expertise across Europe - to initiate and support research projects - to prepare cooperative breeding Treebreedex is not a research project

Have developed vast R&D infrastructures over the last 50 yrs for most economical forest tree species (boreal/temperate/mediterranean) What are these infrastructures? Forest tree genetic material collections Inventory Databases Conditions for access Inventory Conditions for access Field experimental networks Needs for research Inventory Research facilities State-of-the art Common Equipment / software Methodology / know-how Expertise Databases Conditions for access Needs for research protocols Needs for research Databases State-of-the art Synthesis Dissemination

TREEBREEDEX goals TREEBREEDEX Partners infrastructures Networking tools European Tree breeding resource centre Feasibility studies Cooperative programmes European Tree Breeding Coop Identification of priority projects Joint R&D projects Mobility projects

Specific aims Create a reference space for forest tree breeders and geneticists Staff directory Literature Experimental facilities Scientific information / education Identify available experimental resources and organise accessibility Inventories Data-bases Accessibility Exchange and make current scientific knowlegde accessible in a synthetic way State-of-art synthesis, species breeding monographies Seminars/workshops Share best scientific and technical practices Reports Workshops Training Prepare future Identify gaps and research needs Prepare roadmaps for joint research / breeding Disseminate/communicate with people outside the consortium Web-site short-notes/ forum on tree breeding activities Inform about existence of infrastructures and its potential interest for other fields of research Create a reference space for professionals Up-dated information on breeding progress Consolidated information on FRM (catalogues, regulations, production scenarii, etc)

Work organisation Survey of tools, methodologies Access rules Expert group Tasks Activities State-of-art synthesis What do we know? What do we don t know? Research needs Scientific & technical training Dissemination Web-site Papers Workshops Seminars Cost/benefit

Activity nr 3 Provenance trials Base populations (provenances) Activity nr 4 Breeding populations (+ pollen, seed) Activity nr 5 Progeny/ clonal/ variety trials Activity nr 6 Forest Reproductive material & regulations Ac 2. Provision of specifications for databases including access rules, Delivery of standardised information Provision of links to national databases Depositary Reference Centre Circulation/ dissemination of information Staff directory Web-page Experimental facilities and tools database Grey Literature data-base Links with Institutes web-sites Genetic field experimental trials data-base Forest tree breeding material data-base Creation, maintenance, management, up-dating Creation of links with other data-bases Provision of guidelines on access rules Monitoring of use and promotion Activity nr 2 : web-site Links to contact persons in charge of Institute genetic data-bases (individual data) Forest Reproductive material webpage Links with national data-bases (when exists) Show-case Reference Centre Forums Definition of scope and preparation of legal, scientific & technical basis of the European Tree Breeding Centre Adaptation of Consortium agreement

Forest tree breeders and geneticists Scientific community -Biologists (physiology, pathology, genetics, ) -Wood technologists Ac 2. Activity nr 3 Provenance trials Base populations (provenances) Activity nr 4 Breeding populations (+ pollen, seed) Activity nr 5 Progeny/ clonal/ variety trials Activity nr 6 Forest Reproductive material & regulations -Agronomists -etc Depositary Reference Centre Circulation/ dissemination of information Provision of specifications for databases including Provision of links access rules, to national data- Delivery of standardised information bases Staff directory Web-page Experimental facilities and tools database Grey Literature data-base Links with Institutes web-sites Definition of scope and preparation of legal, scientific & technical basis of the European Tree Breeding Centre Genetic field experimental trials data-base Forest tree breeding material data-base Forest Reproductive material webpage Creation, maintenance, management, up-dating Creation of links with other data-bases Provision of guidelines on access rules Monitoring of use and promotion Activity nr 2 : web-site Links to contact persons in Links with national charge of Institute genetic data-bases data-bases (individual data) (when exists) Public Adaptation of Consortium agreement Show-case Reference Centre Forums Forestry wood chain -Seed orch.managers -Seed dealers -Nurserymen -Forest managers -Wood industrials -National Regulations -International

Web-site connection Inventory of what is available Access rules Consortium breeders Scientific community Forest genetic material metadatabase Analysis of databases content Genetic experiments meta-database Abandoned, fragile, endangered collections Species diversity representation of breeding populations Common core of breeding populations Sharable material Suitable networks/ material Common research interest Joined conservation actions Joined breeding programmes Joined research projects

Activity nr 3 Geographical structure of genetic diversity of species Activity nr 4 Structure, organisation and long-term management of forest breeding populations Activity nr 5 Optimisation of breeding strategies and breeding tools Activity nr 6 Optimisation of improved variety mass-production and deployment in forests Provide information, Produce specifications, Perform studies, Organise workshops, etc Web-site Forums Data-bases Reports Guidelines Data-bases specifications, surveys, inventories, state-of-art synthesis, methodology standards expert groups, workshops, seminars, etc Activity nr 2 Creation of Tree Breeding Centre Create, manage, up-date, disseminate

? Ac3. Delineation of breeding zones across Europe : principles national experience Ac4.Joint management of breeding populations Genetic diversity Species plasticity & adaptability to changing conditions What is existing? What is common, endangered? How does BP represent species variability? Accessibility? Methodology to organise BP for long-term breeding Ac5. Breeding methods and strategies Where do we stand at national levels? Accessibility to infrastructures Share of expertise-methodology Standards Cost/benefit study of joined breeding Ac6. Massproduction & deployment of varieties Bottlenecks for mass-propagation /diffusion Share of expertise-methodology National regulations Variety transfer

Ac3. State-of-art synthesis Genetic diversity of species Plasticity and potential of adaptation? Seed/ variety transfer Seed transfer recommendation guidelines Delineation of breeding zones Principles for delineation of breeding zones

Ac5. State-of-art synthesis Ac5. Species Breeding Monography Ac5. Methodology/protocols Common standards Ac5. Efficiency of phenotypic selection Ac5. Early testing and indirect selection Ac5. Genetic relationships among traits Ac5. Interspecific/interpopulation hybridisation Ac5. Optimising breeding strategies gain/diversity Ac5. Design of breeding strategies at the age of genomics Ac5. Development of a tool for genetic evaluation using new statistical methods

Ac6. State-of-art synthesis Ac6. Review on mass-production of varieties Ac6. Review on quality control procedures Ac6. Best strategies for deployment and use of improved FRM in relation Ac6. Quality and productivity potential of improved varieties Cp Mt Cp Mt Cp Mt Cp Mt Cp Mt Cp Mt Cp Mt Cp Mt f13 1300 bp 601 bp 481 bp rbcl 309 bp 261 bp Mother species Father species Hybrids E E J J E E J J J E J J J J E J H H H H

Workshops/seminars/training TREEBREEDEX MEETING SCHEDULE (tentative) December 5, 2006, revised Feb.28, 2007 year Activity Type Title Organiser Date Place remarks Plenary yr1 2006 Ac.1. meeting Kick-off meeting P1 7-9 November 2006 France, Orléans all yr1 2007 Ac5. training Methodological aspects of GIS for geospatial database building and exploitation P20 13-17 March 2007 Bucarest (Romania) open to scientific and technical staff yr1 2007 Ac2-4-5 workshop Data-bases : Specifications P1 16-18 April 2007 Zaragoza (Spain) host partner 27 open to all partners but at min. 1 by partner yr1 2007 Ac3. workshop Adaptive traits needed for breeding zone delineation P24 May 2007 Spain, Pontevedra yr1 2007 Ac1. Plenary meeting 1st yr annual meeting P10 (21-25 ) M ay 2007 Finland all yr2 2007 Ac2-4-5 workshop Data-base : Technical aspects P10 June 2007 Finland, Helsinki limited to data-base developpers yr2 2007 Ac6. conference Seed orchards conference P25 26-28 September 2007 Sweden, Umea open beyond consortium yr2 2008 Ac3. workshop Plasticity and adaptation P1 & P23 (April-May) 2008 Spain, Madrid open beyond consortium yr2 2008 Ac4. workshop ABS on Forest Genetic Resources P16 June 2008 The Netherlands, Wageningen together with plenary meeting yr2 2008 Ac1. Plenary meeting 2nd yr annual meeting P16 (2-6) June 2008 The Netherlands all yr3 2008 Ac4. workshop Long-term management of breeding populations P1, P9 (July-September) 2008 France yr3 2008 Ac5. training Field experimentation, data collection, field computers, etc. P9 sept.2008 Norway designed for technical staff (already planned) yr3 2008 Ac3. workshop Seed transfer: what do we know? P8 (July-Dec.) 2008 Germany, Dresden open beyond consortium yr3 2009 Ac5. training Data management and analysis P7 & P21, P23, P24, P27 2009 Germany, Göttingen yr3 2009 Ac5. training Around Pollination techniques P9 spring 2009 Denmark designed for technical staff yr3 2009 Ac5. seminar Breeding of noble hardwood P12 May 2009 Italy open beyond consortium, together with plenary meeting yr3 2009 Ac1. Plenary meeting 3rd yr annual meeting P12 last week of May 2009 Italy all yr4 2009 Ac3. seminar yr4 2009 Ac5. workshop yr4 2009 Ac5. workshop yr4 2009 Ac5. seminar yr4 2010 Ac1. Genetic variability and adaptive potential of temperate and boreal forest tree species P20 June 2009 Romania, Brasov with Evoltree? Layout of experiments and trials / assessment of traits/ reference standards P4 sept./oct.2009 Belgium Data analysis : development of an integrated tool for genotypes evaluation P1 2009 France open beyond consortium What do large genetic field experimental network across Europe bring to the scientific community? P8 sept/oct.2009 Poland open beyond consortium Plenary meeting 4th yr annual meeting P11 last week of May 2010 Great-Britain all yr4 2010 Ac1. Plenary meeting and/or seminar Final meeting or seminar P1 France? all

Ac3. Delineation of breeding zones across Europe Scientific technical Ac4.Joint management of breeding populations Ac5. Breeding methods and strategies Cost-benefit analysis Property rights Access rules legal financial framework Joined breeding programmes European breeding cooperative Ac6. Mass-production & deployment of varieties

Focussed species Scots pine Spruces (+ Sitka) Larches Douglas-fir Wild cherry Ash Sycomore Poplars + Mediterranean firs and Pinus halepensis